Adventure and Photography – Passion for the Outdoors

A sea of starfish

On our third day in Prince William Sound we woke up to the sound of rain drops hitting the water. Prince William Sound is a wet eco-system called a temperate rain forest which is defined as a woodland of a mild climatic area that receives heavy rainfall, so we well prepared for some rainy days. Hey – had it not been for the rain Chugach National Forest had not been the lush, green area we loved so much! Trees stay green all year around here, like white spruce, Sitka spruce, mountain hemlock and western hemlock.

The Captain had anchored up in Schoppe Bay this morning and we dressed up in rain gear ready for some kayaking and bear hunting! Well – only with cameras that is, no weapons were involved in this hunt:) Our kayaking route went along the shore and through a narrow passage leading us to a secluded cove. It was amazing to see the number of star fish in this area. They were everywhere! Going through the passage big, red/purple star fish covered the rocks on each side of the passage, it was beautiful.

Happy camper (or in this case kayaker) despite some rain:)

Large star fish covering the rock walls on either side of the passage

Making our way through the narrow passage full of star fish

Beautiful colours!

After going through the passage we entered a calm, small cove where we went on shore. Just around the corner there was a stream the salmon use for spawning, and we were hoping to see some bears feeding of the salmon. When we got to the ‘feeding grounds’ there was lots of spawned-out salmon rotting on the river bank and also some evidence of bears having been in the area as not all of salmon had died a natural death. Based on the evidence at the crime scene i seems like the bears prefer the eggs and leave the rest of the salmon to decompose. There was still lots of salmon trying to make their way up to spawn so I am sure the bears made their way back later to continue the feast.

Bear feeding ground

We got a little bit of excitement when we got back to the kayaks as the tide had turned and it was getting towards high tide. We hadn’t pulled the kayaks high enough on the bank and they were floating freely on the water. It was not deep waters and our guide didn’t mind getting wet so she waded after the closest kayak and used it to gather the rest of the kayaks for us. Lesson learnt! The high tide coming in also meant it was quite a challenge getting out of the narrow passage again as there was now a decent current going into the cove. Fun times!

As we had a tandem kayak we made if fairly fast through the passage and since we were back at the boat before the rest of the group we got the opportunity to continue kayaking and the crew would pick us up further out in Schoppe Bay. My husband was super excited, while I was a bit exhausted after fighting the current, but he promised to do be the muscles on our continuation so off we went.

Our kayaking route in Schoppe Bay

Despite the rain I was very happy we continued on as this is when we saw most of the wildlife. I guess it is easier coming close to wildlife being a single kayak instead of a larger group. We saw several bald eagles, and one of them even rewarded us with a nice picture as it took of and flew on to the next tree. We also saw several harbour seals. They were curious, but kept a safe distance to us.

A bald eagle keeping look out …

…before it decides to move on

As we continued on we realised we were coming up on another small stream. Most of the streams in the area have salmon going up to spawn, which means there could potentially be bears as well. Due to the heavy rain we couldn’t see any bears from a distance, but decided to stay quiet and slowly made our way towards the stream. And can you believe it – when we got closer we could see movements. It wasn’t just one bear, it was a mama and her two cubs! My husband was sitting under a small tarp made up by a rain coat we had with us trying to get some pictures of the adorable cubs, but as they were probably 300 feet away if was difficult. He managed to get a couple of shots before we decided to put the camera away and just sit quietly in the kayaking and watch the bears feeding. The black bear mama fairly soon became aware of our presence and kept an eye on us. but she stayed feeding for a long time before they moved on.

A black bear and her two cubs feeding on spawning salmon

The mama black bear is keeping an eye on us

Spawning salmon, kayaking amongst star fish, harbour seals, bald eagles and black bears. What a wilderness paradise! I felt so grateful to have experienced all this on a short morning paddle.

67 thoughts on “A sea of starfish”

Is was literally poring down so no award winning bear photos – but just sitting in the kayak surrounded by the rain and the pitter platter watching the bears feed – it was truly a grateful moment! Thanks for stopping by.

Yes, I am carrying an Olympus E-M1 and have one 40mm lens and a telephoto lens. For these we used the telephoto lens, but I would guesstimate we were 300-400 feet away and with the heavy rain it makes it difficult to take pictures. We chose the Olympus E-M1 because it is small enough for me to bring on travels, hiking etc etc. Weight is my number one criteria for a camera – I must be able to bring it along, if not there will be zero pictures:)

Thanks Sarah! Despite the rain it was a great morning kayaking adventure. I was so happy to see so much wildlife on a short morning hike! Growing up by the sea above the arctic circle I have seen lots of starfish, but never this big and never that many on one place! It was quire unique:) Thanks for reading!

Thanks! As it was raining heavily picture taking was a challenge this day:) I have seen lots of star fish growing up by the sea, but I was amazed by the size and number of star fish in the narrow passage. Wonder if they thrive where there is current stirring up nutrition? Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment.

Kayaking is so much fun. When we are on the coast we kayak February to November. Our closest wildlife encounter was a seal popping up a paddle length away from me. First it gave me a heart attack and then we both just watched each other. You will remember that paddling experience forever.

I agree, I love getting out on the water. We don’t get to do it too often as there is not that many good lakes for kayaking close by, usually have to drive in to the Rockies to find a decent lake. I love the story about the seal popping up by you kayak:) On one of our kayaking trips in Alaska we had a playful sea otter swimming under our kayak – that was great fun! Thanks for reading and commenting Deb!

Great post, loved reading about your kayak trip. Wonderful photos of cool wildlife too. Bears are always awesome to get shots of. Too bad about the rain but you did well in that weather to get the pictures you did. Yay you Inger! 🙂

Thanks! Despite it pouring down it was a great day for us. Actually quite a romantic one as well, the rain for some reason made it trip more ‘private’ as the rain killed the noise/talking sounds of the others on the trip:) And yes – what a treat to see bears!

Thank you! Photo taking was difficult this day due to the heavy rain, but they are do bring back the good memories for me:) As we were in a kayak when we came cross the bears and could have pushed away from the shore I never felt scared when we came across the bear and her two cubs, but it was definitely exhilarating!

I love the camera. It takes great pictures (for a novice photographer at least) and it is not that big to carry along. Weight is my number one criteria. If I can bring it with me there will be zero pictures… I can highly recommend it 🙂

Thanks Frank! I was unsure about posting this one as the picture taking is a challenge when it is poring down, with because they don’t turn out that fantastic and secondly the risk our damaging the equipment so you have to limit the time it is out in the rain. But we have great memories from this morning kayaking adventure:) I still can’t believe the bright colours of some of those starfish!

Thanks Drew! Appreciate you comment. We have great memories from look back at the pictures from this morning kayaking trip. So happy to come across so much wildlife! I’d say have taken better bear pictures, but they are part of the story so I thought I’d post them anyways:)

It was great to see bears! We had really hoped to see bears catching salmon so actually coming across someone eating salmon at a river stream was great. And two cubs in addition, couldn’t ask for more! Prince William Sound had so much great wildlife! I would love to go back.

Thanks Indah! Yes, I was amazed with all the wildlife we got to see on this rather short kayaking trip. I would guess we wee out there for 2-3 hours, and I am so grateful for all we got to experience:)

I have seen starfish on the shore here. They are pretty but not bright colored like yours! Very cool. ..and the black bears!! I would have been scared but since you are more adventurous than me, I am happy for you! 😊

I was amazed with the colours on some if the starfish, so bright! I would probably be a bit more scared has we come across the bears on foot, but being in the kayak with the opportunity to ‘get away’ I never felt scared. But I have never checked how fast a bear can swim…. I just assume we can outrace it:) I might be wrong!

I agree – they are stunning birds of prey. We saw so many eagles in Alaska, I had no idea how numerous there where up north! It was quite easy spotting them as well as they would sit in a tree spotting for food, an the white head of the bald head eagle is easy to spot agains a dark green forest background.

We saw heaps of large birds of prey in Argentina, too. They are spectacular, so huge. Unfortunately I can’t name any of the species we saw… Your photos are so clear and defined though, they look very professional. Well done!

Thanks for you generous comment Sheryl! It was an adventurous morning despite all the rain. We were so amazed with all the wildlife we saw this morning. Alaska is truly an amazing place! Thanks for commenting:)

Nope, never gets boring:) Unfortunately we are not living in Alaska (but I wish we were!) but we are still surrounded by jaw dropping scenery here in the Rockies. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!

Inger & Tor

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